Boot Camp won out for overall speed, where Parallels won for virtualization (running Windows at the same time as Macs) performance. VMWare Fusion, on the other hand, "wins" by keeping your OS X and Window environments separate, which isn't really a feature but more of a lack of a feature—Parallels does a much better and faster job cross-integrating applications and documents. But if you're into keeping up the wall between the two operating systems, there's an option for you. [MacTech]

AirPort

* Allows password-protected accounts on AirPort Disks to show up on in the Finder's Shared Sidebar.
* Resolves an issue with saved passwords for wireless networks.

Back to My Mac

* Improves the reliability of Back to My Mac-enabled Macs appearing in the Finder's Shared Sidebar.
* Improves compatibility with D-Link NAT gateways.

Disk utilities

* Restores the functionality of the progress bar during permission repairs in Disk Utility.
* Addresses an issue that could produce an alert when creating disk images using Disk Utility or Terminal.
* Improves disk partitioning when multiple RAID sets are created on the same disk.

iCal

* iCal alarms are now more reliably delivered via email.
* Resolves an issue when inviting attendees via a CalDAV account.

Mail

* Improves stability when resizing columns in the message viewer or switching between Stationery templates in email messages.
* Addresses an issue in which attachments enclosed inside an HTML link may not be clickable in email messages.
* Fixes an issue with email accounts added using the "Simple Setup" feature in which messages cannot be sent due to an SMTP connection failure.
* Improves Smart Mailboxes compatibility with .Mac Sync, and addresses an issue with To Do's disappearing when using Smart Mailboxes.
* Resolves an issue with syncing Mail accounts with .Mac in which multiple On My Mac folders appear in the Mailbox pane.

Networking

* Addresses an issue in which Microsoft Windows shared folders may be read-only when connected via SMB.

Printing

* Resolves an issue in which user-selected values on Paper Feed PDE are reset to default while saving a custom preset.

Security, Firewall

* Addresses a code signing issue; third-party applications can now run when included in the Application Firewall or when whitelisted in Parental Controls.
* In Security preferences' Firewall tab, the "Block All" option is now called "Allow Only essential services"
* Includes recent Apple security updates.

System and Finder

* Addresses a potential data loss issue when moving files across partitions in the Finder.
* Resolves an issue with login after turning off FileVault for a specific user account.
* Improves compatibility with Adobe Flash-based uploaders used by .Mac Web Gallery and certain other websites and applications.
* Resolves a potential text drawing issue with certain Adobe Flash-based websites and applications.

Time Machine

* Addresses formatting issues with certain drives used with Time Machine (specifically, single-partition MBR drives greater than 512 GB in size as well as NTFS drives of any size and partition scheme).
* Resolves an issue in which files restored in Time Machine may be restored to the backup hierarchy rather than the folders to which they belong.

All it does is make Leopard show unsupported drives as a supported drive for Time Machine, but Apple most likely removed support for these drives for reasons such as data loss or data corruption, so be careful if you're going to try this. Just head on over to 9to5Mac and download their aptly named Flux Capacitor automator script and you'll be on your way to network backups in no time. Or, you can just wait for Apple's official release that's sure to come soon. [9to5Mac via MacRumors]

The other issue involves a flaw in certain 2.5-inch Segate SATA drives with a firmware version 7.01. As mentioned last week on Giz, the flaw causes read/write heads to fail and scratch up the drive. Again, these issues are not official, but you may want to take steps to back up your data just to be on the safe side. [TomKarpik via AppleInsider]

That's right, until 11/11 all qualifying purchasers will be able to claim a $40 mail-in rebate, the application form is available for download on Micro Center's website. Hit the link to save yourself some bills on your next big cat. [Micro Center via Zats Not Funny]

The problem with its implementation of sandboxing—where an app is placed in a "sandbox" so it can't get rough with the rest of the OS if it's hacked—is that a lot of the most commonly hacked apps like the browser, mail client and IM app aren't run in a sandbox. To top it off, the sandbox walls aren't as thorough as they should be, mostly applying to network access. Library randomization has similar problems—it wasn't implemented everywhere it should have been, like the Dynamic Link Library, according to Ptacek.

Of course, someone has to actually exploit the flaws—incompletions more so than outright screw-ups—to cause damage, but Apple should probably patch them up with some haste, particularly the leaky firewall issue. [Cnet, Mac World]

But if you read into it and consider InfoWeek's note, "upon further questioning, Croll would only confirm that Apple had never said ZFS would be a part of Leopard," in conjunction with the fact that it was Sun's CEO making the slip, not some random peon, it seems fairly likely that something Sunny was cooking in the Apple kitchen. It's not like they're down and out in any case—Apple's probably already kicking around stuff for 10.6 – Matt Buchanan

Apple Says No Sun File System For Leopard [InformationWeek]

[Updated]

"ZFS is not the default file system for Leopard. We are exploring it as a file system option for high-end storage systems with really large storage. As a result, we have included ZFS — a read-only copy of ZFS — in Leopard."

Windows Vista and Mac OS X Leopard Upgrade Charts [Mac House, via CrunchGear]